I love it that Christmas helps us tap into the heart of ourselves. It reminds us of our softer sides. It is my prayer and my hope that this year, we can all grasp hold of that softer side. Hang on to it and bring it with us into the new year ?not packed away with the Christmas decorations to be brought out again next December. But open, out, active, a part of our days and nights, our relationships and our choices, throughout the entire year.

Party casserole has been in my family my whole life. I don’t even know where it originated. But anytime there is a particularly festive special occasion, it’s party casserole time. When new friends enter our circle, they get party casserole. I’ve never served anyone who didn’t like it!

I learned an important lesson from Elise Richardson. I don抰 have to settle. This holiday season, my gift to you is the challenge to ask yourself for more. And then to be there to deliver. And next year we can check back in with each other to see what we’ve accomplished!

I made this recipe up and it has become a requested favorite for us and our guests. My husband’s mother used to make him a cucumber, onion and vinegar side dish. Sadly, I never had hers, but didn’t like the rendition of it I tried. So I set out to create something that filled the void for him, but that I liked as well. This was the end result and he loves it!!

It’s going to be a hard Christmas for both of us. Would that I could send a hug through a letter, my sweet friend, for you would surely have one now and anytime you opened an envelope from me.

This is my mother’s signature Christmas cookie recipe. She’s made these every year of my whole life, and at 78 continues to do so!

December 10th: Book Munchies – The Heart of Christmas & Chocolate Pixies

The Heart of Christmas. I wrote this book many years ago. I just sat down to tell a story. The idea had come to me. I’d sold it to Harlequin. And, as I do with all of my books, I sat down, listened to the voices in my head, and typed. I had no idea I was creating something that would speak to hearts years into the future. But it continues to do so.

This is my all-time favorite cookie recipe. I started making it with my mom and aunt when I was a kid. I still use that original recipe card which has so many smudges on it now, fingerprints from all these years of loving and baking, that I can’t even read it all. Nor do I need to, but I pull it out every year anyway. I have it on the counter with me as I bake. I look at the chocolate and butter fingerprints and get full before I’ve even taken a bite.

This is the star piece at our family Christmas Eve gathering every year! My mother’s recipe that she’s been making since I was a kid, and that I make now, too. But I never make them on Christmas Eve. That’s Mom’s privilege and pleasure!

In heavy skillet combine chili sauce, lemon juice and jelly. Simmer for five minutes. Add meat balls. Cook on low heat for one hour. Cool. Refrigerate until fat hardens. Skim off fate. Pour into container to freeze until needed. Or pour into fondue or crock pot and keep warm over low to serve at your party!

Business hotshot Elise Richardson is successful, beautiful, single… and her biological clock is clanging like a church bell. So independent Elise takes matters into her own hands and now she’s pregnant–with quadruplets! Her business partner and best friend, Joe Bennett, can’t believe she’s going to be a mom–times four! There’s no way he’s ready for the chaos of parenthood. Being one of seven children has taught him that much. But now that Elise’s doctor says she shouldn’t be home alone, Joe’s ready to move in. Strictly as a friend, of course. At least until Christmas…

With her business sold and her family out of reach, Abby Hayden’s at loose ends.

But if Abby doesn’t have enough to occupy her time, Dr. Nick McIntrye has too much. So many people rely on him for help and guidance…. No wonder Abby calls him “St. Nick.”

Nick has a proposition for Abby, one he thinks will benefit them both. He persuades her to work at a home he’s established for pregnant teens, girls who’ll be giving up their babies for adoption.

That’s where Abby learns she has a special gift: she knows how to make these girls feel loved and valued, despite their mistakes, despite their fears and lost confidence. And she receives a special gift herself–her very own St. Nick. Not just this Christmas, but for all the Christmases to come!

For the Children
Adult Contemporary Romance
ebook, 304 pages
December 1st 2003 by Harlequin Books

Kirk Chandler and Valerie Simms–two people who’ll do anything for children

Valerie is a juvenile court judge. She spends her days helping troubled kids–including her own fatherless twin boys.

Through her sons, she meets Kirk Chandler. Kirk’s given up a successful corporate career and dedicated himself to helping the children in his Phoenix community…as a basketball coach, as a crossing guard, as an adult who encourages them to strive for the best.

Kirk becomes an increasingly important part of her family’s life, even spending Christmas with Valerie and her twins. And Valerie discovers that she and Kirk not only share a commitment to protecting children, they share a deep attraction–and a personal connection that shocks them both.

Leslie Sanderson’s brother, Cal, is dead–and he’s left behind two children no one knew he had. She and Kip Webster, Cal’s closest friend, “inherit” these secret kids.

As they form their makeshift family, Leslie and Kip decide to share a house. And that leads to other kinds of sharing…. One night, just before Christmas, Leslie tells him about the devastating thing that happened when she was young–something she’s kept secret all this time.

Because in Kip, she finds the promise of safety, acceptance and love. The promise of what family should be. The promise of Christmas….

Marybeth Lawson has the life she’s always wanted. And it all revolves around her cozy bed-and-breakfast. As busy as it keeps her, there is no room for romance, which is fine with her. Then one Christmas, the very good-looking Craig McKellips reserves a room–and everything changes. The attraction between them is intense and instant.

With each visit, the connection between them deepens and Marybeth marvels as the wall around her heart crumbles. Could Craig be the one? Then he reveals a shocking secret that threatens their relationship. Now Marybeth must pick up the pieces and discover what it means to really know someone…and love them anyway.

Character-driven suspense at its best with rapid-fire pacing that makes you feel as if the pages are turning themselves. I inhaled it in two sittings.
Hallie Ephron, reviewer, Boston Globe

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About the Author

The author of more than 70 original novels, in twenty languages, Tara Taylor Quinn is a USA Today bestseller with over six million copies sold. A 2015 RITA finalist Tara appears frequently on bestseller lists, including #1 placement on Amazon lists, and multiple showings on the Publisher抯 Weekly Bestseller list. She has appeared on national and local TV across the country, including CBS Sunday Morning.

Tara is a supporter of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. If you or someone you know might be a victim of domestic violence in the United States, please contact 1-800-799-7233.